Display Device

ABSTRACT

A display device prevents cracks from spreading to an active area. The display device includes a substrate including an active area and a non-active area having a bending area, a thin-film transistor disposed in the active area, a light-emitting element disposed in the active area and connected to the thin-film transistor, an encapsulation layer disposed on the light-emitting element, a touch sensor disposed on the encapsulation layer, a touch pad disposed in the non-active area, a first routing line connecting the touch sensor to the touch pad via a second routing line in the bending area, and a crack prevention layer disposed on the second routing line in the bending area. Thus, the crack prevention layer is capable of preventing the occurrence of cracks in the bending area BA, thus preventing cracks from spreading to the active area AA.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/685,136 filed on Mar. 2, 2022, which is acontinuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/112,963filed on Dec. 4, 2020, which is a continuation application of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/666,136 filed on Oct. 28, 2019 (now U.S.Pat. No. 10,886,339 issued on Jan. 5, 2021), which claims the benefit ofRepublic of Korea Patent Application No. 10-2018-0137577, filed on Nov.9, 2018, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein intheir entirety.

RELATED FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a display device, and moreparticularly to a display device for simplifying the structure thereof.

BACKGROUND

A touchscreen is an input device through which a user may input acommand by selecting instructions displayed on a screen of a displaydevice using a hand or an object. That is, the touchscreen converts acontact position that directly contacts a human hand or an object intoan electrical signal and receives selected instructions based on thecontact position as an input signal. Such a touchscreen may substitutefor a separate input device that is connected to a display device andoperated, such as a keyboard or a mouse, and thus the range ofapplication of the touchscreen has continually increased.

In general, a touchscreen is attached to the front surface of a displaypanel, such as a liquid crystal display panel or an organicelectroluminescent display panel, using an adhesive. In this case, sincethe touchscreen is separately manufactured and then attached to thefront surface of the display panel, an additional attachment process iscarried out, and thus the overall process and the structure thereofbecome complicated and manufacturing costs are increased.

The display panel has an active area AA and a non-active area NAdisposed adjacent to the active area AA. The non-active area NA includesa bending area BA for bending or folding the display panel. The bendingarea BA corresponds to the area that is bent in order to place thenon-display area such as a scan driver and a data driver on the rearsurface of the active area AA. Accordingly, the area occupied by theactive area AA is maximized and the area corresponding to the non-activearea NA is minimized on the entire screen of the display device.However, the bending area BA easily cracks due to bending stress and thecrack tends to spread to the active area AA, thereby resulting in theoccurrence of defects in the lines and malfunction of the device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed to a display device thatsubstantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations anddisadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a display device foralleviating bending stress caused by bending of the display panel toprevent cracking of the bending area BA and prevent cracks fromspreading to the active area AA.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the disclosure will beset forth in part in the description which follows and in part willbecome apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art uponexamination of the following or may be learned from practice of thedisclosure. The objectives and other advantages of the disclosure may berealized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in thewritten description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with thepurpose of the disclosure, as embodied and broadly described herein, adisplay device including an active area and a non-active area having abending area includes a substrate, a thin-film transistor disposed onthe substrate in the active area, a light-emitting element disposed onthe substrate in the active area and connected to the thin-filmtransistor, an encapsulation layer disposed on the light-emittingelement, a touch sensor disposed on the encapsulation layer, a touch paddisposed in the non-active area, a first routing line connecting thetouch sensor to the touch pad via a second routing line in the bendingarea, and a crack prevention layer disposed on the second routing linein the bending area. Thus, since a crack prevention layer is disposed onthe second routing line in the bending area, the crack prevention layeralleviates bending stress caused by bending of the substrate.Accordingly, the crack prevention layer is capable of preventing theoccurrence of cracks in the bending area BA, thus preventing cracks fromspreading to the active area AA.

Preferably, the display device further comprises a passivation layerdisposed on the thin-film transistor and extending into the non-activearea.

Preferably, the passivation layer is at least partially disposed on thesecond routing line in the bending area.

Preferably, the crack prevention layer contacts the second routing linein the bending area.

Preferably, the display device further comprises at least one contacthole connecting the first routing line and the second routing line.

Preferably, the first routing line is at least partially disposed on aside surface of the crack prevention layer.

Preferably, the display device further comprises a touch buffer layerdisposed between the encapsulation layer and the touch sensor.

Preferably, the crack prevention layer is formed of an organicinsulation material, which is more elastic than an inorganic insulationmaterial.

Preferably, the encapsulation layer comprises at least one inorganicencapsulation layer, and the passivation layer has a smaller thicknessthan the at least one inorganic encapsulation layer.

Preferably, the display device further comprises a planarization layerdisposed on the passivation layer; and wherein the crack preventionlayer is formed of a same material as the planarization layer.

Preferably, the second routing line and a display link connecting adisplay pad to a signal line may be disposed in the bending area BAacross the bending area BA.

Preferably, at least one opening may be disposed in the bending area.

Preferably, the display link may be formed of the same material as atleast one of a gate electrode, a source electrode and a drain electrodeof the thin-film transistor.

Preferably, the display device may further comprise a color filter arrayincluding color filters and black matrixes disposed on the encapsulationlayer.

Preferably, each of the black matrixes may be disposed between adjacentcolor filters.

Preferably, the touch sensor may comprise a plurality of first touchelectrodes arranged in a first direction on the encapsulation layer; aplurality of second touch electrodes arranged in a second direction onthe encapsulation layer; a first bridge connecting the first touchelectrodes to each other; and a second bridge connecting the secondtouch electrodes to each other and intersecting the first bridge with atouch insulation film interposed therebetween.

Preferably, the first bridges and the second bridges may be disposed soas to overlap a bank defining a light-emitting area of thelight-emitting element.

Preferably, the display device may further comprise a passivation layerdisposed on the thin-film transistor and extending into the non-activearea and a planarization layer disposed on the passivation layer,wherein the crack prevention layer is formed together with at least oneof the planarization layer and the bank, the crack prevention layer isdisposed in the same plane as at least one of the planarization layerand the bank and is formed of the same material.

Preferably, the second routing line and the display link may be formedof the same material as the second bridge.

Preferably, the display device may further comprises a passivation layerdisposed on the thin-film transistor and extending into the non-activearea, wherein the second routing line and the display link are protectedby the passivation layer.

Preferably, the first touch electrode, the second touch electrode, thefirst bridge and the second bridge may be formed to have a mesh shape.

Preferably, at least one of the first touch electrode, the second touchelectrode, the first bridge and the second bridge may be formed of onlya mesh metal film.

Preferably, the mesh metal film may be formed to have a mesh shape usinga conductive layer of at least one of Ti, Al, Mo, MoTi, Cu, Ta, and ITO.

Preferably, the mesh metal film is formed in a triple-layer stackstructure of Ti/Al/Ti, MoTi/Cu/MoTi, or Ti/Al/Mo.

Preferably, at least one of the first touch electrode, the second touchelectrode, the first bridge and the second bridge may include aplurality of open areas.

Preferably, the plurality of open areas are formed to overlap alight-emitting areas of the light-emitting element and the mesh metalfilm of each of the first and second touch electrodes and the firstbridge are formed to overlap a bank defining a light-emitting area ofthe light-emitting element.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description of the present disclosure areexemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the disclosure as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the disclosure andtogether with the description serve to explain the principle of thedisclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a display device according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I′ in the displaydevice illustrated in FIG. 1 when the display device is bent accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an organic light-emittingdisplay device having a touch sensor according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the organic light-emitting displaydevice having a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates cross-sectional views taken along lines II-II′ and inthe organic light-emitting display device having a touch sensorillustrated in FIG. 4 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the driving transistorillustrated in FIG. 5 in detail according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment of thepresent disclosure in which a passivation layer is disposed under atouch pad and a display pad, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional viewillustrating a comparative example in which an inorganic encapsulationlayer is disposed under a touch pad and a display pad.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an organic light-emittingdisplay device having a touch sensor according to another embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIGS. 9A to 9F are cross-sectional views illustrating a method ofmanufacturing the organic light-emitting display device having a touchsensor illustrated in FIG. 5 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view,respectively, illustrating another example of the first and second touchelectrodes illustrated in FIG. 5 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of thepresent disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a display device according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectionalview illustrating the display device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

The display device illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a display panel200, a scan driver 202, and a data driver 204.

The display panel 200 has an active area AA disposed on a substrate 111(see FIG. 3 ) and a non-active area NA disposed adjacent to the activearea AA. The substrate 111 includes a flexible plastic material so as tobe bendable. For example, the plastic material may be polyimide (PI),polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN),polycarbonate (PC), polyethersulfone (PES), polyacrylate (PAR),polysulfone (PSF), or cyclic-olefin copolymer (COC).

The active area AA displays an image through unit pixels arranged in amatrix form. Each unit pixel includes red (R), green (G) and blue (B)sub-pixels, or includes red (R), green (G), blue (B), and white (W)sub-pixels.

At least one of the data driver 204 and the scan driver 202 may bedisposed in the non-active area NA.

The scan driver 202 drives a scan line of the display panel 200. Thescan driver 202 includes at least one of a thin-film transistor havingan oxide semiconductor layer and a thin-film transistor having apolycrystalline semiconductor layer. Here, the thin-film transistor ofthe scan driver 202 is simultaneously formed through the same process asat least one thin-film transistor disposed in each subpixel of theactive area AA.

The data driver 204 drives a data line of the display panel 200. Thedata driver 204 is installed on the substrate 111 in a chip form, or isinstalled on a signal transmission film 206 in a chip form, asillustrated in FIG. 2 , so as to be attached to the non-active area NAof the display panel 200. The non-active area NA has a plurality ofsignal pads disposed so as to be electrically connected to the signaltransmission film 206. Driving signals, which are generated in the datadriver 204, the scan driver 202, a power source (not illustrated) and atiming controller (not illustrated), are supplied to the signal linedisposed in the active area AA via the signal pads.

The non-active area NA includes a bending area BA for bending or foldingthe display panel 200. The bending area BA corresponds to the area thatis bent in order to place the non-display area such as the scan driver202 and the data driver 204 on the rear surface of the active area AA.As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the bending area BA corresponds to a regionbetween active area AA and the data driver 204 and a region between theactive area AA and the scan driver 202. Alternatively, the bending areaBA may be disposed within at least one of the upper side, the lowerside, the left side and the right side of the non-active area NA.Accordingly, the area occupied by the active area AA is maximized andthe area corresponding to the non-active area NA is minimized on theentire screen of the display device.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , a crack prevention layer 188 is disposed inthe bending area BA so that the bending area BA is easily bent. Thecrack prevention layer 188 is formed of an organic insulation material,which is more elastic than an inorganic insulation material. Since thecrack prevention layer 188 is formed of an organic insulation material,which has a higher strain rate than an inorganic insulation material,the crack prevention layer 188 alleviates bending stress caused bybending of the substrate 111. Accordingly, the crack prevention layer188 is capable of preventing the occurrence of cracks in a signal linkLK, which is disposed across the bending area BA, thus preventing cracksfrom spreading to the active area AA. Here, the signal link LK includesa signal line that extends from the active area to the pad area like atouch routing line or a display link.

The display device having the bending area BA may be applied to a liquidcrystal display device or an organic light-emitting display device. Inthe present disclosure, an embodiment in which the display device havingthe bending area BA is applied to an organic light-emitting displaydevice having a touch sensor will be described below by way of example.

An organic light-emitting display device having a touch sensorillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 includes a plurality of subpixels PXLarranged in a matrix form on the substrate 111, an encapsulation layer140 disposed on the subpixels PXL, and a mutual capacitance array Cmdisposed on the encapsulation layer 140.

The organic light-emitting display device having a touch sensor displaysan image through a plurality of subpixels PXL, each including alight-emitting element 120, for a display period. In addition, theorganic light-emitting display device having a touch sensor senses thepresence or absence of a touch and a touch position by sensing avariation in mutual capacitance Cm (touch sensor) in response to a usertouch for a touch period.

Each of the subpixels PXL disposed in the active area of the organiclight-emitting display device having a touch sensor includes apixel-driving circuit and the light-emitting element 120 connected tothe pixel-driving circuit.

The pixel-driving circuit, as illustrated in FIG. 3 , includes aswitching transistor T1, a driving transistor T2, and a storagecapacitor Cst. In the present invention, a structure in which thepixel-driving circuit includes two transistors T and one capacitor C hasbeen described by way of example, but the present disclosure is notlimited thereto. That is, a pixel-driving circuit having a structure inwhich three or more transistors T and one or more capacitors C, such asa 3T1C structure or 3T2C structure, are provided may be used.

The switching transistor T1 is turned on when a scan pulse is suppliedto a scan line SL, and supplies a data signal supplied to a data line DLto the storage capacitor Cst and a gate electrode of the drivingtransistor T2.

The driving transistor T2 controls the current to be supplied from ahigh-voltage (VDD) supply line to the light-emitting element 120 inresponse to the data signal supplied to the gate electrode of thedriving transistor T2, thereby adjusting the amount of light emittedfrom the light-emitting element 120. Then, even if the switchingtransistor T1 is turned off, the driving transistor T2 maintains theemission of light by the light-emitting element 120 by supplying aconstant amount of current thereto using the voltage charged in thestorage capacitor Cst until a data signal of a next frame is supplied.

To this end, the driving transistor T2, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, includes a semiconductor layer 134 disposed on a buffer layer 112, agate electrode 132 overlapping the semiconductor layer 134 with a gateinsulation film 102 interposed therebetween, and source and drainelectrodes 136 and 138 formed on an interlayer insulation film 114 so asto come into contact with the semiconductor layer 134.

The semiconductor layer 134 is formed of at least one of an amorphoussemiconductor material, a polycrystalline semiconductor material, and anoxide semiconductor material. The semiconductor layer 134 includes achannel region, a source region, and a drain region. The channel regionis formed between the source and drain electrodes 136 and 138 whileoverlapping the gate electrode 132 with the gate insulation film 102interposed therebetween. The source region is electrically connected tothe source electrode 136 through a source contact hole 130S thatpenetrates the gate insulation film 102 and the interlayer insulationfilm 114. The drain region is electrically connected to the drainelectrode 138 through a drain contact hole 130D that penetrates the gateinsulation film 102 and the interlayer insulation film 114.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 , the buffer layer 112, which is disposedbetween the semiconductor layer 134 and the substrate 111, includes amulti-buffer layer 112 a and an active buffer layer 112 b. Themulti-buffer layer 112 a impedes diffusion of moisture and/or oxygenpermeating the substrate 111. The active buffer layer 112 b functions toprotect the semiconductor layer 134 and to block a variety ofdefect-causing factors from the substrate 111. At least one of themulti-buffer layer 112 a, the active buffer layer 112 b and thesubstrate 111 is formed in a multi-layer structure. For example, thesubstrate 111 includes first and second sublayers, which are formed of aplastic material, and a third sublayer, which is disposed between thefirst and second sublayers and is formed of an inorganic insulationmaterial.

The uppermost layer of the multi-buffer layer 112 a, which is in contactwith the active buffer layer 112 b, is formed of a material, which hasetching characteristics different from the materials of the remaininglayers of the multi-buffer layer 112 a, the active buffer layer 112 b,the gate insulation film 102 and the interlayer insulation film 114. Theuppermost layer of the multi-buffer layer 112 a, which is in contactwith the active buffer layer 112 b, is formed of one of SiNx and SiOx,and the remaining layers of the multi-buffer layer 112 a, the activebuffer layer 112 b, the gate insulation film 102 and the interlayerinsulation film 114 are formed of the other one of SiNx and SiOx. Forexample, the uppermost layer of the multi-buffer layer 112 a, which isin contact with the active buffer layer 112 b, is formed of SiNx, andthe remaining layers of the multi-buffer layer 112 a, the active bufferlayer 112 b, the gate insulation film 102 and the interlayer insulationfilm 114 are formed of SiOx.

The gate electrode 132 may be a single layer or multiple layers formedof any one selected from among molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), chrome(Cr), gold (Au), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), and copper(Cu), or an alloy thereof, without being limited thereto.

The gate electrode 132 overlaps the channel region of the semiconductorlayer 134 with the gate insulation film 102 interposed therebetween.Here, as illustrated in FIG. 5 , the gate insulation film 102 is formedto have the same line width as the gate electrode 132 so as to exposethe side surface of the semiconductor layer 134. Alternatively, asillustrated in FIG. 6 , the gate insulation film 102 is formed to have alarger line width than the gate electrode 132 so as to cover the sidesurface of the semiconductor layer 134.

Each of the source and drain electrodes 136 and 138 may be a singlelayer or multiple layers formed of any one selected from amongmolybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), chrome (Cr), gold (Au), titanium (Ti),nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), and copper (Cu), or an alloy thereof,without being limited thereto. The source electrode 136 is connected tothe source region of the semiconductor layer 134, which is exposedthrough the source contact hole 130S that penetrates the gate insulationfilm 102 and the interlayer insulation film 114 or penetrates only theinterlayer insulation film 114. The drain electrode 138 faces the sourceelectrode 136 and is connected to the drain region of the semiconductorlayer 134 through the drain contact hole 130D that penetrates the gateinsulation film 102 and the interlayer insulation film 114 or penetratesonly the interlayer insulation film 114. Here, the interlayer insulationfilm 114 is formed in a single-layer structure, as illustrated in FIG. 5, or includes a lower interlayer insulation film 114 a and an upperinterlayer insulation film 114 b, as illustrated in FIG. 6 . The lowerinterlayer insulation film 114 a is formed to have a smaller thicknessthan the upper interlayer insulation film 114 b. For example, the lowerinterlayer insulation film 114 a may be formed in a single-layerstructure, and the upper interlayer insulation film 114 b may be formedin a single-layer or multi-layer structure.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 , the storage capacitor Cst includes at leasttwo storage electrodes of first to fourth storage electrodes 192, 194,196 and 198. The first storage electrode 192 is formed of the samematerial as the semiconductor layer 134 on the buffer layer 112. Thesecond storage electrode 194 is formed of the same material as the gateelectrode 132 on the gate insulation film 102. The third storageelectrode 196 is formed of the same material as one of the gateelectrode 132 and the source and drain electrodes 136 and 138 on thelower interlayer insulation film 114 a. The fourth storage electrode 198is formed of the same material as the source and drain electrodes 136and 138 on the upper interlayer insulation film 114 b.

The light-emitting element 120 includes an anode 122, at least onelight-emitting stack 124 formed on the anode 122, and a cathode 126formed on the light-emitting stack 124.

The anode 122 is electrically connected to the drain electrode 138 ofthe driving transistor T2, which is exposed through a pixel contact hole116 that penetrates a passivation layer 108 and a planarization layer118, which are disposed on the driving transistor T2. The anode 122 ofeach subpixel is formed so as to be exposed by a bank 128. The bank 128may be formed of an opaque material (e.g. a black material) in order toprevent optical interference between adjacent subpixels. Here, the bank128 includes a light-blocking material formed of at least one selectedfrom among a color pigment, organic black and carbon materials.

The light-emitting stack 124 is formed on the anode 122 in alight-emitting area that is defined by the bank 128. The light-emittingstack 124 is formed by stacking a hole-related layer, an organicemission layer, and an electron-related layer on the anode 122 in thatorder or in the reverse order. In addition, the light-emitting stack 124may include first and second light-emitting stacks, which face eachother with a charge generation layer interposed therebetween. In thiscase, the organic emission layer of any one of the first and secondlight-emitting stacks generates blue light, and the organic emissionlayer of the other one of the first and second light-emitting stacksgenerates yellow-green light, whereby white light is generated via thefirst and second light-emitting stacks. Since the white light generatedin the light-emitting stack 124 is incident on a color filter locatedabove or under the light-emitting stack 124, a color image may berealized. In addition, colored light corresponding to each subpixel maybe generated in each light-emitting stack 124 to realize a color imagewithout a separate color filter. That is, the light-emitting stack 124of the red (R) subpixel may generate red light, the light-emitting stack124 of the green (G) subpixel may generate green light, and thelight-emitting stack 124 of the blue (B) subpixel may generate bluelight.

The cathode 126 is formed so as to face the anode 122 with thelight-emitting stack 124 interposed therebetween and is connected to alow-voltage (VSS) supply line.

The encapsulation layer 140 prevents external moisture or oxygen fromentering the light-emitting element 120, which is vulnerable to theexternal moisture or oxygen.

To this end, the encapsulation layer 140 includes at least two inorganicencapsulation layers 142 and 146 and at least one organic encapsulationlayer 144. In the present disclosure, the structure of the encapsulationlayer 140 in which the first inorganic encapsulation layer 142, theorganic encapsulation layer 144 and the second inorganic encapsulationlayer 146 are stacked in that order will be described by way of example.

The first inorganic encapsulation layer 142 is formed on the substrate111, on which the cathode 126 has been formed. The second inorganicencapsulation layer 146 is formed on the substrate 111, on which theorganic encapsulation layer 144 has been formed, so as to cover theupper surface, the lower surface and the side surface of the organicencapsulation layer 144 together with the first inorganic encapsulationlayer 142.

The first and second inorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146 minimizeor prevent the permeation of external moisture or oxygen into thelight-emitting stack 124. Each of the first and second inorganicencapsulation layers 142 and 146 is formed of an inorganic insulationmaterial that is capable of being deposited at a low temperature, suchas silicon nitride (SiNx), silicon oxide (SiOx), silicon oxide nitride(SiON), or aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃). Thus, since the first and secondinorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146 are deposited in alow-temperature atmosphere, it is possible to prevent damage to thelight-emitting stack 124, which is vulnerable to a high-temperatureatmosphere, during the process of depositing the first and secondinorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146.

The first and second inorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146 areformed to have larger thicknesses than the passivation layer 108 andthus are vulnerable to external shocks. Thus, the first and secondinorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146 are formed so as not to bedisposed in the bending area BA.

The organic encapsulation layer 144 serves to dampen the stress betweenthe respective layers due to bending of the organic light-emittingdisplay device and to increase planarization performance. The organicencapsulation layer 144 is formed on the substrate 111, on which thefirst inorganic encapsulation layer 142 has been formed, using anon-photosensitive organic insulation material, such as PCL, acrylicresin, epoxy resin, polyimide, polyethylene or silicon oxycarbide(SiOC), or using a photosensitive organic insulation material such asphotoacryl. The organic encapsulation layer 144 is disposed in theactive area AA, other than the non-active area NA. Here, a dam 106 isdisposed on the passivation layer 108 in order to prevent the organicencapsulation layer 144 from spreading to the non-active area NA.

A touch-sensing line 154 and a touch-driving line 152 are disposed so asto intersect each other in the active area AA of the encapsulation layer140, with the touch insulation film 156 interposed therebetween. Amutual capacitance array Cm is formed at a point at which thetouch-sensing line 154 and the touch-driving line 152 intersect eachother. Thus, the mutual capacitance array Cm charges an electric chargeusing a touch-driving pulse supplied to the touch-driving line 152 anddischarges the electric charge to the touch-sensing line 154, therebyserving as a touch sensor.

The touch-driving line 152 includes a plurality of first touchelectrodes 152 e and first bridges 152 b electrically connecting thefirst touch electrodes 152 e to each other.

The first touch electrodes 152 e are spaced apart from each other atregular intervals in the Y-axis direction, which is the first direction,on the touch insulation film 156. Each of the first touch electrodes 152e is electrically connected to an adjacent first touch electrode 152 evia the first bridge 152 b.

The first bridge 152 b is disposed on the touch insulation film 156 inthe same plane as the first touch electrode 152 e and is electricallyconnected to the first touch electrode 152 e without a separate contacthole. Since the first bridge 152 b is disposed so as to overlap the bank128, it is possible to prevent the aperture ratio from being lowered bythe first bridge 152 b.

The touch-sensing line 154 includes a plurality of second touchelectrodes 154 e and second bridges 154 b electrically connecting thesecond touch electrodes 154 e to each other.

The second touch electrodes 154 e are spaced apart from each other atregular intervals in the X-axis direction, which is the seconddirection, on the touch insulation film 156. Each of the second touchelectrodes 154 e is electrically connected to an adjacent second touchelectrode 154 e via the second bridge 154 b.

The second bridge 154 b is formed on the second inorganic encapsulationlayer 146 and is electrically connected to the second touch electrode154 e through a touch contact hole 150 that penetrates the touchinsulation film 156. Like the first bridge 152 b, the second bridge 154b is disposed so as to overlap the bank 128, thereby preventing theaperture ratio from being lowered by the second bridge 154 b.

It is illustrated by way of example in FIG. 5 that the second bridge 154b is in contact with the second inorganic encapsulation layer 146 on thesecond inorganic encapsulation layer 146, which is disposed at theuppermost side of the encapsulation layer. Alternatively, at least oneof the first and second touch electrodes 152 e and 154 e and the firstbridge 152 b may be in contact with the second inorganic encapsulationlayer 146 on the second inorganic encapsulation layer 146, and thesecond bridge 154 b may be disposed on the touch insulation film 156.

The non-active area NA includes the bending area BA for bending orfolding the substrate 111.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 , a second routing line 164 and adisplay link 174 are disposed in the bending area BA across the bendingarea BA. In addition, the crack prevention layer 188 and at least oneopening 160, 168 and 178 are disposed in the bending area BA so that thebending area BA is easily bent.

The crack prevention layer 188 is formed of an organic insulationmaterial having a higher strain rate and higher impact resistance thanthe inorganic insulation film. For example, since the crack preventionlayer 188 is formed together with at least one of the planarizationlayer 118 and the bank 128, the crack prevention layer 188 is disposedin the same plane as at least one of the planarization layer 118 and thebank 128 and is formed of the same material. The crack prevention layer188, which is formed of an organic insulation material, has a higherstrain rate than the inorganic insulation material and thus alleviatesbending stress caused by bending of the substrate 111. Accordingly, thecrack prevention layer 188 is capable of preventing cracking of thebending area BA, thus preventing cracks from spreading to the activearea AA.

The openings 160, 168, and 178 are formed by removing the inorganicfilms, which have higher hardness than the organic films and thus easilycrack due to bending stress.

The first opening 160 is formed by removing the lower insulation film,which includes the buffer layer 112, the gate insulation film 102 andthe interlayer insulation film 114, which are disposed under thepassivation layer 108 of the non-active area NA. Since the first opening160 is simultaneously formed through the same mask process as the sourceand drain contact holes 130S and 130D, the structure and the processingare simplified.

The second opening 168 is formed by removing the inorganic film, whichincludes at least one of the conductive film and the inorganicinsulation film, which is disposed on the crack prevention layer 188overlapping the second routing line 164. A first touch routing line 162and a touch pad 170 are spaced apart from each other, with the secondopening 168 therebetween.

The third opening 178 is formed by removing the passivation layeroverlapping the crack prevention layer 188. The passivation layer 108 isremoved to expose the second routing line 164 and the display link 174in the bending area BA due to the third opening 178. Since the thirdopening 178 is simultaneously formed through the same mask process asthe pixel contact hole 116, the structure and the processing aresimplified.

In the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent cracking using theopenings 160, 168 and 178 and the crack prevention layer 188 disposed inthe bending area BA. Accordingly, the present disclosure is capable ofpreventing cracks from spreading to the active area AA, thus preventingthe occurrence of defects in the lines and malfunction of the device.

A display pad 180, which is connected to at least one of the data lineDL, the scan line SL, the low-voltage (VSS) supply line and thehigh-voltage (VDD) supply line, and the touch pad 170 are disposed inthe non-active area NA. The display pad 180 and the touch pad 170 may bedisposed in the non-active area NA disposed on at least one of one sideand the opposite side of the substrate 111, or may be disposed indifferent non-active areas NA from each other. The touch pad 170 and thedisplay pad 180 are not limited to the structure illustrated in FIG. 4 ,but may be variously changed depending on the design choices made forthe display device.

The touch pad 170 and the display pad 180 are formed to be exposed bythe touch protective film 158. Thus, the touch pad 170 is connected to asignal transmission film, on which a touch-driving circuit (notillustrated) is installed, and the display pad 180 is connected to asignal transmission film, on which at least one of the scan driver 202and the data driver 204 illustrated in FIG. 1 is installed. Thetouch-driving circuit may be installed in any one of the data driver 204and the timing controller.

The touch protective film 158 is formed to cover the touch electrode 152e and 154 e, thus preventing the touch sensor from corroding due toexternal moisture or the like. The touch protective film 158 is formedin a film or thin-film configuration using an organic insulationmaterial such as epoxy or acryl, or is formed of an inorganic insulationmaterial such as SiNx or SiOx, or is formed of a polarizing film.

The touch pad 170 is formed of the same material as the first touchrouting line 162 and is disposed on the touch insulation film 156. Eachtouch pad 170 is electrically connected to a respective one of the touchelectrodes 152 e and 154 e via the first and second routing lines 162and 164. The touch pad 170, the first routing line 162 and the secondrouting line 164, the display link 174 and the display pad 180 overlapthe passivation layer 108 in the non-active area NA.

The first routing line 162 extends from the touch electrodes 152 e and154 e, and is formed along the side surface of the encapsulation layer140. Here, the first routing line 162 is disposed across at least onedam 106. The first routing line 162 is formed of the same material asthe touch electrodes 152 e and 154 e and is disposed on the touchinsulation film 156.

The second routing line 164 is formed of the same material as at leastone of the gate electrode 132 and the source and drain electrodes 136and 138 and is disposed on the substrate 111 exposed by the firstopening 160. The second routing line 164 is exposed through a routingcontact hole 166 a, which penetrates the passivation layer 108 and thetouch insulation film 156, and is connected to the first routing line162. The second routing line 164 is exposed through a touch pad contacthole 166 b, which penetrates the passivation layer 108 and the touchinsulation film 156, and is connected to the touch pad 170.

The display pad 180 is formed of the same material as the touch pad 170and is disposed on the touch insulation film 156. Each display pad 180is connected to the signal line via the display link 174, which extendsfrom at least one signal line of the data line DL, the scan line SL, thelow-voltage (VSS) supply line and the high-voltage (VDD) supply line.

The display link 174 is formed of the same material as at least one ofthe gate electrode 132 and the source and drain electrodes 136 and 138and is disposed on the substrate 111 exposed by the first opening 160.The display link 174 is exposed through the display pad contact hole176, which penetrates the passivation layer 108 and the touch insulationfilm 156, and is connected to the display pad 180.

Each of the display pad contact hole 176 and the touch pad contact hole166 b is formed through the same mask process as the touch contact hole150. That is, during the process of etching the touch insulation film156 on the second bridge 154 b, the passivation layer 108 and the touchinsulation film 156, which are disposed on the second touch routing line164 and the display link 174, are also etched, thereby forming the touchcontact hole 150, the display pad contact hole 176 and the touch padcontact hole 166 b together. Here, the passivation layer 108, asillustrated in FIG. 7A, is formed to have a smaller thickness d1 than athickness d2 of any one of the first and second inorganic encapsulationlayers 142 and 146 and the touch insulation film 156. Thus, during theprocess of etching the passivation layer 108 for forming the display padcontact hole 176 and the touch pad contact hole 166 b, it is possible toprevent damage to the second bridge 154 b exposed by the touch contacthole 150.

Meanwhile, in a comparative example illustrated in FIG. 7B, any one suchas the inorganic encapsulation layer 146 of the first and secondinorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146, which has a thickness d2larger than the thickness d1 of the passivation layer 108, and the touchinsulation film 156 are disposed on the second touch routing line 164and the display link 174. In this case, during the formation of thedisplay pad contact hole 176 and the touch pad contact hole 166 b, theetching time of the inorganic encapsulation layer 146 is longer than theetching time of the passivation layer 108 according to the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 7A. Thus, during the process of etching theinorganic encapsulation layer 146 for forming the display pad contacthole 176 and the touch pad contact hole 166 b, as illustrated in FIG.7B, the second bridge 154 b exposed by the touch contact hole 150 isdamaged.

Since the touch insulation film 156 according to the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 7A is disposed on the organic emission layer of thelight-emitting stack 124, the touch insulation film 156 is formedthrough a low-temperature deposition process in order to prevent damageto the organic emission layer, which is vulnerable to a high-temperatureatmosphere. Since the passivation layer 108 is disposed under theorganic emission layer of the light-emitting stack 124, the passivationlayer 108 may be formed through a high-temperature deposition process.In this case, during the formation of the display pad contact hole 176and the touch pad contact hole 166 b, the etching speed of the touchinsulation film 156 formed through a low-temperature deposition processis higher than the etching speed of the passivation layer 108 formedthrough a high-temperature deposition process, and thus the touchinsulation film 156 is more etched than the passivation layer 108. Thus,the passivation layer 108 and the touch insulation film 156, which areexposed by the display pad contact hole 176 and the touch pad contacthole 166 b, have forwardly-tapered side surfaces. Thus, it is possibleto improve the step coverage of the touch pad 170 and the display pad180, which are disposed on the passivation layer 108 and the touchinsulation film 156 having the forwardly-tapered side surfaces.

Meanwhile, in the comparative example illustrated in FIG. 7B, since theinorganic encapsulation layer 146 is disposed on the organic emissionlayer of the light-emitting stack 124, the inorganic encapsulation layer146 is formed through a low-temperature deposition process in order toprevent damage to the organic emission layer, which is vulnerable to ahigh-temperature atmosphere. In this case, during the formation of thedisplay pad contact hole 176 and the touch pad contact hole 166 b, theinorganic encapsulation layer 146 and the touch insulation film 156,which are exposed by the display pad contact hole 176 and the touch padcontact hole 166 b, have reverse-tapered side surfaces. The stepcoverage of the touch pad 170 and the display pad 180 in the comparativeexample, which are disposed on the inorganic encapsulation layer 146 andthe touch insulation film 156 having the reverse-tapered side surfaces,is deteriorated compared to the step coverage of the touch pad 170 andthe display pad 180 according to the embodiment.

In the present disclosure, during the formation of the second bridge 154b, the second touch routing line 164 and the display link 174, which areformed of the same material as the second bridge 154 b, are protected bythe passivation layer 108, which has a smaller thickness than theinorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146. Thus, in the presentdisclosure, since a separate touch buffer layer for protecting thesecond touch routing line 164 and the display link 174 is not necessary,the touch buffer layer, which is disposed between the encapsulationlayer 140 and the touch sensor, may be eliminated, whereby the structuremay be simplified.

In addition, in the present disclosure, the passivation layer 108, whichhas a smaller thickness than the inorganic encapsulation layers 142 and146, is disposed on the second touch routing line 164 and the displaylink 174. Thus, in the present disclosure, during the process of etchingthe passivation layer 108 to form the display pad contact hole 176 andthe touch pad contact hole 166 b, it is possible to prevent damage tothe second bridge 154 b exposed by the touch contact hole 150.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an organic light-emittingdisplay device having a touch sensor according to a second embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

The organic light-emitting display device having a touch sensorillustrated in FIG. 8 has the same constituent components as the organiclight-emitting display device illustrated in FIG. 5 , except that acolor filter array is further provided. A detailed explanation of thesame constituent components will be omitted.

The color filter array includes color filters 184 and black matrixes 182disposed on the second inorganic encapsulation layer 146 of theencapsulation layer 140. The color filters 184 are formed between eachof the touch-sensing lines 154 and the touch-driving lines 152 and thelight-emitting element 120. The spacing distance between each of thetouch-sensing lines 154 and the touch-driving lines 152 and thelight-emitting element 120 is increased by the color filters 184. Thus,the capacity of a parasitic capacitor formed between each of thetouch-sensing lines 154 and the touch-driving lines 152 and thelight-emitting element 120 may be minimized, thus preventing mutualinteraction due to coupling between each of the touch-sensing lines 154and the touch-driving lines 152 and the light-emitting element 120. Inaddition, the color filters 184 are capable of preventing liquidchemicals (developer, etchant or the like), which are used for themanufacture of the touch-sensing lines 154 and the touch-driving lines152, or external moisture from permeating the light-emitting stack 124.Thus, the color filters 184 are capable of preventing damage to thelight-emitting stack 124, which is vulnerable to liquid chemical ormoisture.

Each of the black matrixes 182 is disposed between adjacent colorfilters 184. The black matrixes 182 serve to divide the subpixel areasfrom each other and to prevent optical interference and light leakagebetween adjacent subpixel areas. The black matrixes 182 are formed of ablack insulation material having high resistance, or are formed suchthat at least two of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) color filters 184are stacked.

A touch planarization film 186 is disposed on the substrate 111, onwhich the color filters 184 and the black matrixes 182 have been formed.The substrate 111, on which the color filters 184 and the black matrixes182 have been formed, is flattened by the touch planarization film 186.

It is illustrated by way of example in FIG. 8 that the touch electrodes152 e and 154 e are disposed on the color filters 184. Alternatively,the color filters 184 may be disposed on the touch electrodes 152 e and154 e.

Further, it is illustrated by way of example in FIG. 8 that the colorfilters 184 and the black matrixes 182 are in contact with each other.Alternatively, the color filters 184 and the black matrixes 182 may bespaced apart from each other. For example, the color filters 184 may bedisposed between the encapsulation layer 140 and the touch sensor, andthe black matrixes 182 may be disposed on the touch sensor.

FIGS. 9A to 9F are cross-sectional views illustrating a method ofmanufacturing the organic light-emitting display device having a touchsensor illustrated in FIG. 5 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 9A, the switching transistor T1, the drivingtransistor T2, the second touch routing line 164, the display link 174and the light-emitting element 120 are formed on the substrate 111.

Specifically, the buffer layer 112 is formed by stacking SiOx or SiNxand the inorganic insulation films a multiple number of times on thesubstrate 111. Subsequently, amorphous silicon, polycrystalline siliconor oxide silicon is deposited on the buffer layer 112 and is patterned,thereby forming the semiconductor layer 134. An inorganic insulationmaterial such as SiNx or SiOx is deposited on the entire surface of thesubstrate 111, on which the semiconductor layer 134 has been formed,thereby forming the gate insulation film 102. A first conductive layeris deposited on the entire surface of the gate insulation film 102 andis patterned, thereby forming the gate electrode 132. An inorganicinsulation material such as SiNx or SiOx is deposited on the entiresurface of the substrate 111, on which the gate electrode 132 has beenformed, thereby forming the interlayer insulation film 114, and theinterlayer insulation film 114 and the buffer layer 112 are patterned,thereby forming the source and drain contact holes 130S and 130D and thefirst opening 160. A second conductive layer is deposited on the entiresurface of the substrate 111, in which the source and drain contactholes 130S and 130D and the first opening 160 have been formed, and ispatterned, thereby forming the source and drain electrodes 136 and 138,the second touch routing line 164, and the display link 174.Subsequently, an inorganic insulation material such as SiNx or SiOx isdeposited, thereby forming the passivation layer 108. Subsequently, thepassivation layer 108 is patterned, thereby removing the passivationlayer 108 of the bending area BA and forming the pixel contact hole 116exposing the drain electrode 138 of the driving transistor T2. Anorganic insulation material is coated on the substrate 111, on which thepassivation layer 108 has been formed, and is patterned, thereby formingthe planarization layer 118 having therein the pixel contact hole 116and the crack prevention layer 188 disposed in the bending area BA.

A third conductive layer is deposited on the entire surface of thesubstrate 111, on which the planarization layer 118 and the crackprevention layer 188 have been formed, and is patterned, thereby formingthe anode 122. A photosensitive organic film is coated on the substrate111, on which the anode 122 has been formed, and is patterned, therebyforming the bank 128 and at least one dam 106. Subsequently, thelight-emitting stack 124 and the cathode 126 are sequentially formed inthe active area AA, other than the non-active area NA, through adeposition process using a shadow mask.

Referring to FIG. 9B, the encapsulation layer 140 is formed on thesubstrate 111, on which the light-emitting element 120 has been formed.

Specifically, the first inorganic encapsulation film 142 is formed onthe substrate 111, on which the light-emitting element 120 has beenformed, through a deposition method, such as a chemical vapor deposition(CVD) method, a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) method ora plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method. Here, thefirst inorganic encapsulation film 142 is formed of an inorganicinsulation material such as SiOx, SiNx or SiON. Subsequently, aphotosensitive or non-photosensitive first organic insulation materialis coated on the substrate 111, on which the first inorganicencapsulation film 142 has been formed, thereby forming the organicencapsulation film 144. Here, the organic encapsulation film 144 isformed of an organic insulation material, such as PCL, acrylic resin,epoxy resin, polyimide, polyethylene or silicon oxycarbide (SiOC).Subsequently, an inorganic insulation material is deposited on thesubstrate 111, on which the organic encapsulation film 144 has beenformed, thereby forming the second inorganic encapsulation layer 146.

Referring to FIG. 9C, the second bridge 154 b is formed on the uppermostlayer (e.g. the second inorganic encapsulation layer 146) of theencapsulation layer 140.

Specifically, an opaque conductive layer is deposited on the entiresurface of the substrate 111, on which the encapsulation layer 140 hasbeen formed, through a deposition process using sputtering at a roomtemperature. Subsequently, the opaque conductive layer is patternedthrough a photolithography process and an etching process, therebyforming the second bridge 154 b. Here, the opaque conductive layer isformed of a metal material, such as Al, Ti, Cu, Mo, Ta, or MoTi, and isformed in a single-layer or multi-layer structure. Here, the secondtouch routing line 164 and the display link 174, which are formed of thesame material as the second bridge 154 b, are not exposed to theoutside, but are protected by the passivation layer 108 and the crackprevention layer 188. Thus, during the process of etching the secondbridge 154 b, it is possible to prevent damage to the second touchrouting line 164 and the display link 174.

Referring to FIG. 9D, the touch insulation film 156 is formed on thesubstrate 111, on which the second bridge 154 b has been formed.

Specifically, an inorganic insulation material is deposited on thesubstrate 111, on which the second bridge 154 b has been formed, therebyforming the touch insulation film 156. Subsequently, the touchinsulation film 156 and the passivation layer 108 of the non-active areaNA are patterned through a photolithography process and an etchingprocess, thereby forming the routing contact hole 166 a, the touch padcontact hole 166 b and the display pad contact hole 176. At the sametime, the touch insulation film 156 of the active area AA is patterned,thereby forming the touch contact hole 150.

Here, since the passivation layer 108 of the non-active area NA isformed to have a smaller thickness than the inorganic encapsulationlayers 142 and 146, it is possible to prevent damage to the secondbridge 154 b exposed by the touch contact hole 150 during the formationof the touch pad contact hole 166 b and the display pad contact hole176.

Referring to FIG. 9E, the first touch electrode 152 e and the secondtouch electrode 154 e, the first bridge 152 b, the first touch routingline 162, the touch pad 170, and the display pad 180 are formed on thesubstrate 111, in which the touch contact hole 150 has been formed.

Specifically, a transparent conductive layer, such as ITO, IZO, or IGZO,is deposited on the entire surface of the substrate 111, in which thetouch contact hole 150 has been formed, and is patterned through aphotolithography process and an etching process. Thus, the first touchelectrode 152 e and the second touch electrode 154 e, the first bridge152 b, the first touch routing line 162, the touch pad 170, and thedisplay pad 180 are formed. Here, the first touch routing line 162 andthe touch pad 170, which are disposed on the crack prevention layer 188,are spaced apart from each other, with the second opening 168therebetween.

Referring to FIG. 9F, the touch protective film 158 is formed on thesubstrate 111, on which the first and second touch electrodes 152 e and154 e, the first bridge 152 b, the first touch routing line 162, thetouch pad 170, and the display pad 180 have been formed.

Specifically, an inorganic insulation material or an organic insulationmaterial is formed on the entire surface of the substrate 111, on whichthe first and second touch electrodes 152 e and 154 e, the first bridge152 b, the first touch routing line 162, the touch pad 170 and thedisplay pad 180 have been formed. Subsequently, the inorganic insulationmaterial or the organic insulation material is patterned through aphotolithography process and an etching process, thereby forming thetouch protective film 158. The touch protective film 158 is formed in afilm or thin-film configuration using an organic insulation materialsuch as epoxy or acryl, or is formed of an inorganic insulation materialsuch as SiNx or SiOx.

In the present disclosure, during the formation of the second bridge 154b, the second touch routing line 164 and the display link 174, which areformed of the same material as the second bridge 154 b, are protected bythe passivation layer 108, which has a smaller thickness than theinorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146. Thus, in the presentdisclosure, since a separate touch buffer layer for protecting thesecond touch routing line 164 and the display link 174 is not necessary,the touch buffer layer, which is disposed between the encapsulationlayer 140 and the touch sensor, may be eliminated, whereby the structuremay be simplified. Of course, the touch buffer layer can be disposedbetween the encapsulation layer 140 and the touch sensor, if necessary.

In addition, in the present disclosure, the passivation layer 108, whichhas a smaller thickness than the inorganic encapsulation layers 142 and146, is disposed on the second touch routing line 164 and the displaylink 174. Thus, in the present disclosure, during the process of etchingthe passivation layer 108 to form the display pad contact hole 176 andthe touch pad contact hole 166 b, it is possible to prevent damage tothe second bridge 154 b exposed by the touch contact hole 150.

In the present disclosure, the display device having a bending area hasbeen described by way of example, but the present disclosure is alsoapplicable to a display device having no bending area.

Moreover, in the present disclosure, the configuration in which thefirst and second touch electrodes 152 e and 154 e and the first andsecond bridges 152 b and 154 b are formed to have a plate shape, asillustrated in FIG. 4 , has been described by way of example, but thefirst and second touch electrodes 152 e and 154 e and the first andsecond bridges 152 b and 154 b may be formed to have a mesh shape, asillustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B. That is, at least one of the firsttouch electrode 152 e and the second touch electrode 154 e and at leastone of the first bridge 152 b and the second bridge 154 b may be formedof a transparent conductive film 1541, such as ITO or IZO, and a meshmetal film 1542 disposed above or under the transparent conductive film1541 and having a mesh shape. Alternatively, at least one of the firsttouch electrode 152 e and the second touch electrode 154 e and the firstand second bridges 152 b and 154 b may be formed of only the mesh metalfilm 1542 without the transparent conductive film 1541, or may be formedof the transparent conductive film 1541 having a mesh shape without themesh metal film 1542. Here, the mesh metal film 1542 is formed to have amesh shape using a conductive layer of at least one of Ti, Al, Mo, MoTi,Cu, Ta, and ITO, so as to have higher conductivity than the transparentconductive film 1541. For example, the mesh metal film 1542 is formed ina triple-layer structure such as a stack of Ti/Al/Ti, MoTi/Cu/MoTi, orTi/Al/Mo. Thereby, the resistance and the capacitance of the first andsecond touch electrodes 152 e and 154 e and the first bridge 152 b maybe reduced, and the RC time constant may be reduced, which may result inincreased touch sensitivity. In addition, since the mesh metal film 1542of each of the first and second touch electrodes 152 e and 154 e and thefirst bridge 152 b has a very small line width, it is possible toprevent the aperture ratio and transmissivity from being lowered by themesh metal film 1542. In addition, at least one of the first touchelectrode 152 e and the second touch electrode 154 e and the first andsecond bridges 152 b and 154 b may include a plurality of open areas153. For example, the first touch electrode 152 e and the second touchelectrode 154 e, and the first bridges 152 b include the plurality ofopen areas 153. The first bridge 152 b including the open areas 153shown in FIG. 10A has a reduced opaque area, as compared to the firstbridge 152 b including no open areas shown in FIG. 3 . Therefore,reflection of external light by the first bridges 152 b may be reducedand, thus, lowering of visibility may be prevented. The plurality ofopen areas 153 are formed to overlap light-emitting areas of thelight-emitting element 120 and the mesh metal film 1542 of each of thefirst and second touch electrodes 152 e and 154 e and the first bridge152 b are formed to overlap the bank 128, thereby preventingdeterioration in the aperture ratio and the transmittance attributableto the mesh metal film 1542.

As is apparent from the above description, according to the presentdisclosure, during the formation of a bridge, a touch routing line and adisplay link, which are formed of the same material as the bridge, areprotected by a passivation layer, which has a smaller thickness than aninorganic encapsulation layer. Thus, since a separate touch buffer layerfor protecting the touch routing line and the display link is notnecessary, a touch buffer layer, which is disposed between anencapsulation layer and a touch sensor, may be eliminated, whereby thestructure may be simplified.

In addition, the passivation layer, which has a smaller thickness thanthe inorganic encapsulation layer, is disposed on the touch routing lineand the display link. Thus, during the process of etching thepassivation layer to form a display pad contact hole and a touch padcontact hole, it is possible to prevent damage to the bridge exposed bythe touch contact hole.

In addition, since the passivation layer is disposed in a non-activearea, it is possible to minimize or prevent the permeation of externalmoisture or oxygen into a light-emitting stack, thereby improvingmoisture resistance.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it isintended that the present invention covers the modifications andvariations of this invention provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display device including an active area and anon-active area, the display device comprising: a substrate; a thin-filmtransistor disposed on the substrate in the active area; alight-emitting element disposed on the substrate in the active area andelectrically connected to the thin-film transistor; an encapsulationlayer disposed on the light-emitting element; a touch sensor disposed onthe encapsulation layer; a first routing line disposed in the activearea and the non-active area and electrically connected to the touchsensor; a second routing line disposed in the non-active area; and apassivation layer disposed on the second routing line to expose a partof an upper surface of the second routing line, wherein the passivationlayer disposes on the thin-film transistor and extends into thenon-active area, and wherein the first routing line electricallycontacts the upper surface of the second routing line.
 2. The displaydevice according to claim 1, wherein the passivation layer includes aninorganic material.
 3. The display device according to claim 2, whereinthe encapsulation layer comprises at least one inorganic encapsulationlayer, and wherein the passivation layer has a thickness smaller thanthat of the at least one inorganic encapsulation layer.
 4. The displaydevice according to claim 1, further comprising: a touch insulationlayer disposed on the passivation layer to expose a part of the uppersurface of the second routing line.
 5. The display device according toclaim 1, further comprising: an organic insulation layer disposed on thesecond routing line in the non-active area.
 6. The display deviceaccording to claim 5, wherein a first portion of the first routing lineis disposed on a first lateral surface of the organic insulation layer,and a second portion of the first routing line is disposed on a secondlateral surface of the organic insulation layer.
 7. The display deviceaccording to claim 6, wherein the first portion of the first routingline overlaps a first area of an upper surface of the organic insulationlayer, the second portion of the first routing line overlaps a thirdarea of the upper surface of the organic insulation layer, and the firstrouting line does not overlap a second area of the upper surface of theorganic insulation layer in the non-active area.
 8. The display deviceaccording to claim 7, wherein the first area and the third area of theupper surface of the organic insulation layer are edge portions of theupper surface of the organic insulation layer, and the second area ofthe upper surface of the organic insulation layer is a central portionof the upper surface of the organic insulation layer.
 9. The displaydevice according to claim 5, wherein the organic insulation layer isformed of an organic material, the organic insulation material is moreelastic than an inorganic insulation material.
 10. The display deviceaccording to claim 1, further comprising: a touch buffer layer disposedbetween the encapsulation layer and the touch sensor.
 11. The displaydevice according to claim 1, further comprising: a color filter arrayincluding color filters and black matrixes disposed on the touch sensor.